Live blog: HISD trustees extend Grier’s contract on split vote

THE LATEST: HISD trustees voted to extend Grier’s contract through June 2014. The five trustees who were on the board that hired Grier voted in favor of the extension. Trustee Anna Eastman voted against the extension. Juliet Stipeche, Mike Lunceford and Rhonda Skillern-Jones abstained. (Here’s our story about the vote.)

Background: Houston ISD trustees met behind closed doors this afternoon to discuss extending Superintendent Terry Grier’s contract. They will reconvene in an open meeting at 5 p.m. After some ceremonial items, trustees can make a motion on the contract. Stay tuned to see what happens. The previous blog post discusses the three big mysteries surrounding the possible vote.

LIVE BLOG, from the start:

*5 p.m. HISD board president Mike Lunceford called the board into closed session. That’s atypical. Usually, the board meets in closed session earlier and starts the public part of the meeting pretty close to 5 p.m.

*5:24 p.m. Several trustees start returning from closed session with Grier. Then Grier and a few trustees disappear again.

*5:26 p.m. Lunceford calls the meeting to order.

*5:39 p.m. A student who gave a speech in honor of MLK Day got a standing ovation from the audience. Will Grier get the same?

*5:59 p.m. A student choir honors HISD trustee Larry Marshall for Black History Month. A student refers to him as “a true living legend in our community.”

*6:34 p.m. Trustees are considering items discussed in closed session. This is where Grier’s contract could come up.

*Trustee Greg Meyers said he supports the contract extension. “There may be times of dissension, that’s normal,” he said, adding that data show HISD is improving student achievement. “We’re on track to do even greater things.”

*HISD trustee Anna Eastman said she’s not ready to join the majority in support a contract extension for Grier. She said she knows he’s passionate but is worried about the mood in the district. “I fear the culture of this organization is struggling. And I worry that these gains will be sustainable.”

*HISD trustee Juliet Stipeche doesn’t reveal which way she’ll vote. She says she knows Grier has a tough job but she wants concerns voiced by employees, parents and contractors to be taken seriously.

*Newest board member, Rhonda Skillern-Jones, says she hasn’t received the results of Grier’s confidential evaluation yet. She doesn’t believe she has enough information on Grier.

*Trustee Moore says that a contract extension doesn’t mean that Grier and the board don’t need to improve. “He did well on his performance review but he didn’t get perfect marks,” Moore said. Moore notes that Grier’s contract deadline is ticking, and it’s important to let Grier and the staff he recruited know that he’ll be on the job beyond this year.

*”I will be available for a big fat ‘I told you’ so if it’s warranted,” trustee Eastman says.

*Board president Lunceford said he can’t support extending Grier’s contract beyond his board term.

*BREAKING: HISD trustees vote to extend Grier’s contract through June 2014. The five trustees who were on the board that hired Grier voted in favor of the extension. Trustee Anna Eastman voted against the extension. Trustees Juliet Stipeche, Mike Lunceford and Rhonda Skillern-Jones abstained.